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2016: Photo finish redux1 of 112016: The closest finish – at least by official measurements -- in the 500’s history made this one a classic. Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. sailed down the frontstretch side by side chasing the checkered flag. Hamlin won by .01 of a second.

Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

1959: The first2 of 111959: The very first 500 produced what remains one of its best finishes. Lee Petty edged Johnny Beauchamp at the line as the lapped car of Joe Weatherly made it a three-abreast finish. Beauchamp was declared the winner, but examination of a still photo by legendary photographer T. Taylor Warren and newsreel footage made it clear that Petty had finished first. Three days after the 500, NASCAR founder and track builder Bill France Sr. declared Petty the winner. It was the “longest” 500.

Photo by NASCAR ARCHIVES

1976: Pearson and Petty3 of 111976: They’ll be talking about this one as long as there is motorsports. David Pearson and Richard Petty, the giants of the sport in the mid-1970s, sailed into the final turn of the final lap side by side, the checkered flag about to be unfurled. They crashed into each other and the outside wall, both cars spinning off the trioval banking. Pearson, who had earned the nickname the Silver Fox for just such a move, kept a clear head and depressed the clutch in his car to keep the engine running. He chugged across the finish line at about 30 miles per hour to score his only 500 win.

Photo by NASCAR ARCHIVES

1988: All Allison, all day4 of 111988: The idea of family ties in racing was celebrated to the extreme in this 500 as Bobby Allison led his son, Davey, to the finish line in a 1-2 family affair.

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1993: The Dale and Dale Show5 of 111993: This was the Dale vs. Dale Show. Dale Jarrett outran Dale Earnhardt Sr. over the closing miles to put team owner Joe Gibbs, who was more accustomed to winning Super Bowls, in victory lane. Adding spice to the finish was the fact that Ned Jarrett, Dale’s father, was working the race in the television booth and “called” his son home.

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1963: Lund's pinch hit walk-off6 of 111963: Tiny Lund, a giant of a driver, won the 500 as a substitute for Marvin Panch in the Wood Brothers’ car. Panch missed the race because of injuries he had sustained in a Daytona crash prior to the 500. Among those who pulled Panch from the wreckage was Lund.

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1979: And there's a fight in the infield7 of 111979: This finish shot NASCAR into national prominence. Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison raced side by side on the last lap, and their cars banged together entering the third turn. The cars slid onto the apron as Richard Petty, who was far behind in third place, roared past to win the race. The television broadcast pulled away from Petty, however, as Yarborough, Donnie Allison and Bobby Allison, Donnie’s brother, engaged in a brief brawl at the site of the accident.

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1998: Twenty years of trying8 of 111998: Dale Earnhardt Sr. tried for two decades to win his sport’s most important race before finally breaking through in 1998. He had been blocked from the 500’s victory lane by a frustrating assortment of gremlins, including a tire that exploded two laps from the end of the race in 1990. The 1998 celebration was titanic.

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2011: Cinderella's glass slipper fits9 of 112011: Twenty-year-old Trevor Bayne became an instant hero in this one, dealing with the pressure over the tense final laps to grab an unlikely victory for Wood Brothers Racing, the oldest team in NASCAR. On his radio, he screamed, “Are you kidding me?!” Thousands of others also were surprised.

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Gallery: Top-10 Daytona 500s Photo 1010 of 112007: Kevin Harvick outran Mark Martin, a superstar driver who never won the 500, over the final half-mile to win the race by .02 of a second. They crossed the finish line as a huge wreck developed behind them. Among the results of the crash – Clint Bowyer skidding across the finish line on his roof, his car aflame.

The list: The top-10 Daytona 500s of all time

Counting down the best of The Great American Races

February 21, 2017

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It is for no small reason that the Daytona 500 is considered NASCAR’s biggest race.

Among its winners -- Richard Petty, David Pearson, Junior Johnson, Fireball Roberts, A.J. Foyt, Bobby Allison, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Mario Andretti, Cale Yarborough, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson. That alone makes the Great American Race a special thing. When Daytona International Speedway opened in 1959, drivers who were used to racing on much smaller tracks and at much slower speeds marveled at the one-of-a-kind facility. The high banks and the massive infield were intimidating. They still are.

Over the years, now stretching beyond a half-century, the 500 has resulted in some of NASCAR’s best races.